In which Sarah Barr Finally Picks a Direction and Starts Running

[Sarah Barr]

Here we go.

 

No more aimlessly wandering the wilds, no more vague faffing about. This is the day when this little hobbit steps out onto a road that definitely leads somewhere.

 

The road is hilly, it's full of potholes, and the look of that rough surface means you know you are going to go through several pairs of shoes before you finally get to the end, but for once, you know it does have an end.

 

The road leads to a castle, a whole 329 days' trek away. In 329 days, the summer solstice will shine with bright, fierce light upon that castle, and on that final day, challengers from all across the land will come together to prove themselves to themselves.

 

On the 21st of June 2015, this hobbit will be taking part in Tough Mudder Scotland.

 

The question is, how to get there. 

 

This is now my... well, this isn't my first challenge. I think it's my fifth. Maybe my fourth. A number. The point is, there has not been much progress; and though I mostly blame my laziness for that, I also blame a lack of ultimate goal beyond "get healthy and fit and somehow this will translate into being a good field ecologist or something". Now there is a date, there are obstacles, there is a location, there will be mud.

 

So here goes.

 

 

Main Quest: Get to, and compete in, Tough Mudder Scotland 2015.

 

 

Challenge Quests:

 

1) Build up your endurance by starting a Couch to 5k Programme, to lay the foundations for greater distances as the year progresses. Three times a week.

(Points: +5 Sta)

 

2) Start training for obstacles by following the Mudderling boot camp (pdf) given on the Tough Mudder website. Three times a week.

(Points: +4 Str, +1 Sta)

 

3) Proper food. This is the one that I have always, always sucked at. The way I am dealing with it this time is a combination of everything I've tried so far: cooking ahead carefully portioned, wholesome meals with their calories and macros calculated. This will be sheer force of will over laziness rather than anything else. Every damn day.

(Points: +1Cha, +2 Wis)

 

 

Life Quest:

 

Work out a monetary budget for the month. Stick to it. Simple as that. I can do this. 

(Points: +2 Wis)

 

 

Further motivation: 

 

- Friend who thought the idea of me doing Tough Mudder was quite funny (he never said as much, at least) has moved away to Aberdeen. I want to see the look on his face when he gets back in two years and discovers I've become Xena, Warrior Hobbit. 

 

- In fact, just for the look on everyone's faces when they discover I've become Xena, Warrior Hobbit.

 

 

 

 

 

(This, by the way, is the castle in question:)

 

 

[Sarah Barr]

Postscripts:

 

a. ) Anyone know where the sign-up sheet is lurking?

 

b. ) Story chapters might happen! Breath should not be held though. Work is way too busy and I'm so tired when I get home these days. If adventures are had, they shall be written down!

[GingaNinja]

Hurray! I think you are totally going to rock this challenge, I'm doing C25K as well this challenge, I think it will be great to prove your friend wrong. I hope to do that to with a lot of my old friend and family. I usually dread bumping into friend from school when I visit home, this time I really want get to the point where I hope I do bump into them to show them how hot I am now!

Love the goals and we should really try meet up at some point this challenge, sorry about now being able to join you last time, life just got super hectic. Things have calmed a little now!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tEe--iTzpqqJFICOZsYu5t2witXPLP7KzTlAQ-AYrtI/viewform

Usually it is the challenge instructions thread

[Sarah Barr]

Thanks for the link! A friend and I want to hike from South Queensferry to Cramond some weekend soon if you'd like to join us! Not sure when, maybe around the 23rd of August? Or any weekend in August, really.

Haha, I hate going back to my parents', people I went to high school with are everywhere there - except for the nice ones who inevitably disappeared off to London or Peru or somewhere. I look forward to going back when I look and feel like an Amazon and parading about while being completely smug.

 

 

Made first attempt at mudderling workout! DEAR GOD. I got through 1 1/2 circuits out of three before I had to stop for fear of hurling. Also, I tried to work out in my hiking shorts, because it is too hot to wear thick thermal trackie bottoms, and it turns out I can't do squats in those shorts. Or bend over properly. I can't say I was looking FORWARD to 2 minutes of burpees, exactly, but I did want to give them a go. And I couldn't locate my paracord, so I couldn't make a skipping rope. 

 

Things to do:

- pass out for a bit

- locate stretchy shorts

- locate skipping rope

- locate stop watch

 

My goal for Wednesday is to either get through the other half of the second circuit if I can't find those things, or to get as far as I did without missing burpees and jump rope if I can find those things. Hope that by the end of the week I can do two full circuits.

 

 

Things I have learned:

- I can do jumping jacks in the gym in front of other living humans if I face the wall

- My coordination needs some work

- Hiking shorts are for hiking

- Hiking shorts combined with circuits result in unfortunately placed sweat patches

- I actually get fewer weird looks jumping about like a furious toddler than I do when I do my dumbbell workout. This may be a result of facing the wall and not seeing them. Yay, wall.

 

Work now, and then I will have time to catch up on threads!!

[deftona]

Excellently specific challenge goals - yay for getting muddy at an awesome castle!

[Swampling]

"Xena, Warrior Hobbit" says it all, really. 

[Sarah Barr]

Did a C25K week one session again! Considering this a do-over, since I messed up the timing on the first one and only did 20 minutes overall instead of 20 minutes in addition to warm up and cool down. Today I did the whole thing, definitely!

 

Max. Heart rate: 183bpm

Incline: 2%

Walking pace: 4.5 (?)/h

Running pace: 7.1 (?)/h

Total distance: 1.90 (?)

 

Still don't know if those machines use miles or km! Let's assume km so I'm not overestimating. 

 

Pretty sure the feeling of wanting to hurl after each workout will fade away in a couple of weeks! 

 

I want to track my running progress in a way that lets me make graphs, so I think I will have to make a new workout spreadsheet! (I am excited for this.)

 

Have a good day guys!

[Sarah Barr]

Don't think I'm getting enough rest periods between C25k days because of some of the cardio in Mudderling. Taking out that cardio (the running, the butt kicks, the skates, etc) and keeping in the cardio like jumping jacks and burpees. Also, moved Mudderling workout from Wednesday morning to this morning for this week to give my calves time to rest. Now I've sorted the cardio I should be able to go back to just alternating each day.

 

Think I'm only going to update my battle log at the end of each challenge, or when I hit a particular milestone, because I'm just repeating things I said there in this log. 

 

Got plank to 1 minute! WOOT! 

 

May have pulled arm in muscle when I tried to use the 9kg dumbbells for dumbbell rows while I was in a bad mood from my belly getting in the way of letting me complete a single flaming burpee. Glad tomorrow is C25K now. It's not pulled bad but I don't want it to end up bad. Refuse to end up unable to work out this challenge, because that provides the impetus for maintaining diet. 

 

Watching the Commonwealth clean & jerks on TV last night was fun. That weird gangly-flaily-armed go-on,-my-son thing I was doing on the couch must be what people who actually give a crap about football feel. 

 

Sigh, work now. Focusing on the fact that even a bad workout is still better than no workout, and I did have the profuse-sweating, wobbly-legged feeling afterwards that means I worked hard, so it wasn't bad, per se, just disorganised and uncoordinated. 

[deftona]

Watching the Commonwealth clean & jerks on TV last night was fun. That weird gangly-flaily-armed go-on,-my-son thing I was doing on the couch must be what people who actually give a crap about football feel. 

 

That really made me laugh! I always get really motivated by watching the big sports competitions, like I kid myself I could probably run as fast as Usain Bolt, I've just never tried

 

I also agree that showing up is way more important that perfection. Just do your best in every workout and you'll get there. 

[IronGlider]

Hey Sarah! :-)

 

Excellent challenge + goals! Wow, amazing man, you're really going all out here! Really exciting to see how far you can go! :-)

 

And wow, besting Xena? Don't make me drool! xD But lol she and Wonder Woman can step aside 'cause there's a NEW CHALLENGER IN TOWN! :-) Exciting!

[Sarah Barr]

Deftona: I like your new picture! Haha, did you see that thing with the kid trying to keep up with the Commonwealth marathon runners?

 

Iggy: This miiight be more than I can chew but I am so very definitely making pleather Xena armour when I get there! (Actually there was this point in my life where I wanted to work out what you would have to do in order to actually do the ridiculous stuff they had her do on wires in the show. It got about as far as browsing for horseriding lessons and buying a bo staff.)

 

Running happened again! Could have sworn I hadn't done the whole thing but the machine said 20 minutes so I guess I did 20 minutes!

 

I am enjoying the feeling of goodness after things. Steve's recent emaily bloggy things about growth happening at our limits are helping, it's motivating me to push harder. 

 

Not doing so well with diet this week, and I think the problem is I've made my spreadsheet too complicated, so it's effort to fill it in, so I'm not keeping track, so I'm slipping up. Going to definitely keep using it for workout tracking, and using the vast swathes of calorie and macro information, but I think it'd give me more of a push to keep going if I recorded that here every day. 

[deftona]

Deftona: I like your new picture! Haha, did you see that thing with the kid trying to keep up with the Commonwealth marathon runners?

 

 

Thanks! I'm keeping it

 and maybe one day I will be able to break dance in my pants too. We all have our goals I love that link too, that kid gets full marks for effort! 

 

It's great you're loving the post-workout happies! It's surely a good sign if 20 minutes running passes quickly?! I think I'd be counting down all the way through...!

[Sarah Barr]

Oh my GOD those speedos! More clothing needs to be made from that fabric!

[deftona]

Spandy Andy on the Canadian version of Total Wipeout is amazing. I love how seriously everyone else takes it, while he is busting around just being Spandy. He is my hero. 

[GingaNinja]

Well done on getting the plank up that is awesome! I think I need more rest than I thought I would do at first, hoping that it will only be 1 day soon enough!

 

Also disco speedos are amazing, I have a few pairs of shiny hot pants, they are pretty amazing, tempted to go out running in them at some point, maybe at an event or something!

[Teros]

I'm glad that you have a specific goal in mind. That's always the 's' in S.M.A.R.T. goal-planning. (Measurable. Attainable. Realistic. Trackable is the rest of it).

 

If you have questions, feel free to send me a message (How to PM and follow/ ) or post at the Tavern (Tavern ) . Don't forget to check out the minis if you want ( Minis).

 

Good luck and have fun this challenge

 

Xena, Warrior Hobbit.

 

That castle looks like frigging Hogwarts.

[Sarah Barr]

Stupid pulled arm. Sometime, I will get through a challenge without frigging injuring something! Haven't strength trained this week yet. Going to give it a go after work. It's only pulled, so it'll be fine soon if not now.

 

Going to try cutting out lactose for the rest of this challenge. Had one of those "durrr" moments when my friend, who recently found out she's lactose intolerant, was talking about symptoms and I thought "wait, that's not a normal thing? You're not supposed to feel like that all the time?"

...

 

Durrrrr.

 

So, I got off to a great start and forgot, drank a cup of milky tea and ah well. Starting now, then. And, in fact, changing my diet goal to "cut out dairy". 

 

This is going to be tricky, BUT it'll deal with all the cheese I eat, and thus loads of the calories that I put in. So, as long as I keep on top of portion sizes (which I should be doing anyway), and make sure I get calcium from other foods (oh joy, broccoli.) things should be good!

 

Soy milk is bogging in tea, pretend milk in general weirds me out, and things like Sheese and Cheezly... well, they smell like vomit, so I'm not going to end up replacing dairy with weird cheese substitutes that are mostly vegetable oil and... I don't know, sawdust.

 

Mostly just sad that I can't make Deftona's amazing-sounding yoghurt. If nothing has changed after this challenge, the first thing I shall do is make that yoghurt.

[HappyCat]

I subbed rice milk when I gave up dairy, its thinner than cows milk and distinctly sweeter, but its not as ick as soy.

 

I only really use it in my porridge now, Ive gotten used to being dairyless and dont miss it all that much (ok I lie, I would rip a man's arm off for brie/camembert/jarlsberg....)

 

Avocado served as a good dairy sub as well - in place of butter/marg, soft cheeses etc...and though I havent made it yet (its on my never ending to do list) you can apparently made a kick ass chocolate mousse with avocado.

 

I was never much of a yoghurt fan so cant help with a sub for that.

[Sarah Barr]

Might pick up rice milk, that and almond milk sound pretty alright. I work right next to a health food shop so I should scout about in there on my lunch break today, I reckon. 

 

 

I'm not thinking about milky tea.

 

 

I'm not.

 

 

*gnaws on arm*

[deftona]

So, I got off to a great start and forgot, drank a cup of milky tea and ah well. Starting now, then. And, in fact, changing my diet goal to "cut out dairy". 

 

This is going to be tricky, BUT it'll deal with all the cheese I eat, and thus loads of the calories that I put in. So, as long as I keep on top of portion sizes (which I should be doing anyway), and make sure I get calcium from other foods (oh joy, broccoli.) things should be good!

 

Soy milk is bogging in tea, pretend milk in general weirds me out, and things like Sheese and Cheezly... well, they smell like vomit, so I'm not going to end up replacing dairy with weird cheese substitutes that are mostly vegetable oil and... I don't know, sawdust.

 

Sorry to hear about the pulled arm, I hope it heals soon. And giving up dairy - well. I think I would find that the most challenging food group to give up. I tried going vegan for three months years back and it was so difficult. Vegan cheese is disgusting and it make my mouth burn. But I did find that the soya milk sweetened with apple juice was quite nice in tea. The unsweetened stuff was awful. My sister makes her own rice milk though, if you want me to ask her how I can. 

[Sarah Barr]

Vegan cheese is disgusting and it make my mouth burn.  

 

Now made with all-natural carbonic acid for a healthy red glow!

 

Tried going vegan in first year of uni - new ecology student, being lectured on how everything is terrible and cows are farting the planet to death - was okay until exams and then I needed be-milked tea too badly. Seem to remember living on mostly dark chocolate, mango sorbet and rice. 

 

Going to investigate a bunch of different not-milks; I have a feeling that I would not remember to clean up after making rice milk quite often and my flatmates would murder me in my sleep, but if rice milk agrees with me I may pester you for the recipe, thankyou!

 

 

Calories today:

 

- Bread: 300kcal

- Fake bacon: 80kcal

- Milk in tea because I am a dumbass: 50kcal

- 1 nectarine: 62kcal

- Dodgy looking vegan pork pie: 305kcal

- Quorn frankfurters: 184kcal

- Sunflower seed and honey roll: 209kcal

- Nakd cocoa delight bar: 135kcal

- Sainsbury's meatfree meatballs (because just calling them balls would sound dodgy): 298kcal

- 1/2 can chopped tomatoes: 88kcal

- ~75g pasta: 260kcal

- Big handful frozen onions: 33kcal

- 1 tsp olive oil: 47kcal

- 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar: 7kcal

- 1 tsp soft brown sugar: 20kcal (so glad that it only costs 27kcal to caramelise some onions, makes my bolognese so much better)

 

Total: 2078kcal

 

Conclusions of the day:

Dodgy vegan pork pies = not satisfying. Granted, they don't have that creepy-ass clear jelly, but also WHAT IS THAT WHITE STRINGY THING? WHY IS THIS SO DAMP? WHY IS MOST OF THIS PIE JUST AIR WRAPPED IN WEIRD PASTRY? Aaaaaa.

 

I wasted 769 calories on crappy carbs; if I'd had 2 eggs instead of bread in the morning, 4 frankfurters instead of two and a roll at lunch and had courgette "spaghetti" instead of pasta at dinner, I'd have spent 332kcal on that and then had a total of 1641kcal.

 

And if I'd not bothered with the not-pork pie I could have had a beer tonight instead. Lessons learned. But will they be put into action? Oooooooooooo...

 

 

 

In other news, was staring gormlessly and vacantly out of the bus window today and several moments later realised I was, and continued to be, staring gormlessly and vacantly at Dylan Moran. Sorry, Dylan Moran. I didn't mean to stare at you. THE FRINGE IS RUINING MY LIFE ALREADY AND IT'S ONLY BEEN 6 DAYS. 

 

(I should go see some shows. And watch Black Books.)

[Sarah Barr]

Actually, come to think of it, in first year I mostly lived on Jagermeister.

[deftona]

Yes that sounds more like my first year of uni too. I spent way too much time in Flares. *cringe*

 

And don't worry about the Dylan Moran faux pas, he probably assumed he was at fault, not you

[Sarah Barr]

... oh, my post from Friday is not there! Oops.

 

I got a pedestal fan off freecycle on Friday and got to use the lines "hey, this is my new friend, we have so much in common! We're both huge metal fans!" and my partner still let me into the flat. Was a good day, and meant I got some exploring and a little walking in.

 

Pulled arm is now better! Did many hours of cleaning yesterday involving lots of scrubbing so I know it'll be fine for working out on Monday. Then I sat down to do a "quick", "will only take ten minutes", "doesn't even need PVA glue" craft where you turn a poundland oven mesh sheet into a jewellery holder by way of a stapler and some stiff cardboard. Three hours later I had covered it in over a thousand rhinestones. It is the tackiest thing. I love it.

 

Dairy free is going okay, but when I'm finished cleaning today I'm going to sit down with vegan cookbooks and find recipes that aren't soya-mince-bolognese, and plan a shopping list, because it's been very carb based lately.

 

As for calories, have stayed around 1700-2000 past two days. Again, once I cook a bunch of stuff after the flat inspection we have on Monday, I can get that down again. Vegetable chilli is very low cal, even more so now that I won't be drenching it in cheddar.

 

Flatmates and I plan on doing yoga together soon. I hope there's space in the living room, because I just set up a bar in there (the kitchen window kept knocking over gin and it was terrible) and I sense I will kick it over and end up in the downward-facing-doghouse.

 

Long waffle over. Weekly review!

 

Diet: Something something calories Cut out Dairy: Going well, will go better with greater time and resources. 

Exercise: Running and T.M.: I have not been to the gym at all this week to make sure arm is fine. I have got sweaty in the past couple of days while cleaning/fetching fans, so all will be good next week.

Life quest: Budget: Have been trying to stick to budget but the change in diet meant I needed to spend money on non-dairy things - need to do some calculations.

 

Mini quest: I have drunk at least 1 litre of water every day. Woot!

[Sarah Barr]

Grrrrrrrrrr!

Arm better, but now Achilles' tendon is being a pain. Stupid body. 

 

Contingency Plan! Changing my goals. Again. I know. But I am changing them so I can make a decent impact on my weight by focusing entirely on food. That way, I will let everything have time to heal.

 

So, half points because we're already halfway through challenge, and new goals will be:

 

 

1) Restrict calorie intake to no more than 1600kcal a day. Only 200 of those can be silly calories, like beer, iced coffee or white bread - the rest has to be decent quality.

(Points: +2 Con)

 

2) Intermittent fasting. Restrict eating to between 1pm and 7pm. Herbal tea and water allowed during fasting period. Nasty sugarfree energy drinks permitted in emergencies, like falling asleep at desk.

(Points: +2 Sta)

 

3) No dairy. Have determined that it is definitely dairy (unless it's specifically cheese) that is impairing function, so no dairy. This will involve learning a few good vegan recipes.

(Points: +2 Con, +1 Wis)

 

 

Life Quest:

 

Work out a monetary budget for the month. Stick to it.  

(Points: +2 Wis - full points, since I've been doing this since start of challenge!)

 

 

MONITORING:

 

Weigh self once a week. Measure vital statistics at end of challenge.

 

 

 

Makes me a little disappointed that TM training is now on hold until next challenge, but there is no way I am risking screwing up my achilles' tendon. Not going to avoid all exercise, of course; will walk places when I can, will do gentle yoga with flatmates. Off to parents' this weekend (DUN DUN DUN) so that could go one of two ways: either mum starts her "whyareyousofat, whyarewesofat, neitherofusareallowedtoeatanythingbutbutternutsquashsoup" thing and we eat like shrews; or there will be a tonne of food and wine. And there will be walking in some sort of forest.

 

 

By  "eat like shrews", I mean consume about 15g of food a day, rather than "eat three times our body weight in worms".

 

FOCUS! There will be focus! Hyaargh! 

 

 

 

...Hmm, should see what the mini this week is, no idea yet.

 

Kick butt the rest of this week!